JOLT! - The Cup Of Joy
JOLT! – The Cup of Joy
“But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people,” Luke 2:10
My cup of joy, as we all know, comes from the amazing two stoned pip that comes from a coffee cherry. It is actually a stone found inside a purple or red colored fruit. It is what is crushed and ground into an amazing drink, muddy and strong. This joy is part of my everyday life, as is the joy of Jesus Christ.
We have chatted about identifying, out loud, our craving to have joy in our lives. We then pursued the necessity to own the fact we desire joy in our everyday life, and we have discovered the fact joy means so much more than simple happiness, but a constant, unmoved feeling which resides in our soul during any event occurring in our lives. This joy is the basis of what Jesus came to this earth to provide. It is what He, Himself, longs for us to possess. It is the good news of great joy.
Hebrews 12: 2-3 encourages us, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Jesus’ joy was uncontainable. He had such joy in the circumstances He faced while He was here on earth. He demonstrated joy during every celebration and every trial and temptation because of the constant trust He had in His Father. The gospels themselves tell of the unapparelled and unshakeable joy of Jesus. The joy that sustained Jesus was the relationship He had with His father. Who He was, was the root of His joy. He was the Son of the one and only true God and this produced the greatest joy anyone could imagine.
This is where our joy comes from. This is the joy we need to own and proclaim. It is essential we look at our life circumstances, whether we are struggling or at a peace and calm, through the lens of Whom we belong to.
We belong to Jesus Christ who endured the cross for our joy. The cup of joy He took on Himself was one we could never fathom. Jesus journeyed to the cross with the cup of suffering and it became the cup of salvation. Because He endured death for us, we are able to sustain any circumstance we are facing because of the joy we receive from Him. We can exhibit joy because we have been chosen by the Father and He will never turn away from us.
Let me paint for you, a real example of this joy. I have several close friends who work in education; teachers, administrators, substitutes. These men and women have a fervor for what they do for children each day. Fervor is a great joy word. Its definition is an intense and passionate feeling. When these friends’ stride into an educational setting everything about them lights up. Their faces shine with happiness. Their bodies become animated, they have a quick step and a bounce to their movements. Education today is one of the most stressful professions. Statistics show 75% of teachers have reported having stress related health issues (Peck, 2023)[i]. Yet, these educator friends of mine experience joy in each day because they recognize who they are and what their purpose is on earth. These professionals understand Jesus’ sacrifice for them and they face each day with the joy they receive from Him. Their days are not easy, they rarely have time to breath, let alone use the restroom. They deal with students who are facing trauma, yet still need to learn. They remain joyful with students who live in fear, yet need to know their alphabet and numbers. They stand strong for students amid the need to test, and test, and test, rather than build relationships and simply teach reading and math. This joy they maintain comes from love; the cup of love they receive from Jesus and His love for them and they seek to follow in His footsteps. This is how joy manifests itself when circumstances are not easy.
There is always a potential for joy when we dwell in Jesus. His cup of joy, began as a cup of suffering (and became a cup of salvation), is the cup we can all drink from to instill a sense of joy in each day. We are not asked to ignore the struggles we are having, but to invite Him into each event so He can bear it with us. And just knowing that He is there can help us overcome and bring us joy.
Are you struggling and need Jesus’ cup of joy to help you overcome? Place your faith in Him today. Drink from His cup, it is a big one and full of a joy you can’t imagine until you take a sip.
Lord God, I give this day to you and ask you to fill my cup with your joy. I know you have all I need when I invite you to share my struggles with me. Thank you for the peace you give me and the calm you bring to my life through your own cup of joy.
Today’s Challenge:
What struggle do you need to hand to God today in order to be filled with the joy He offers?
**Please submit your answers in the comment box below for others to share in and pray for. You never know when your answer might bless someone else.
[i] https://www.devlinpeck.com/content/teacher-burnout-statistics#:~:text=More%20than%2075%25%20of%20teachers,having%20stress%2Drelated%20health%20issues&text=A%20survey%20revealed%20that%20more,the%20failure%20to%20handle%20stress.